Victoria Krishnamurti Event May 8, 2016 Five people attended the meeting at the Church of Truth on the topic “Can the Mind be Quiet?” Participants watched a short video clip of Krishnamurti speaking on the need for a quiet mind in order to look at oneself, which is necessary if one is to understand and be free of conflict. The video was followed by a handout from the book Freedom from the Known, chapter 14, again emphasizing the importance of space and silence. Learning is its own discipline which does not require control or suppression, but demands attention. The material was discussed as a group exploration. After the tea break, a video was shown of Eckhart Tolle reading and discussing selections from Krishnamurti’s journals, mostly on the subject of stillness and “presence”, as Eckhart calls it. He takes great delight in K’s descriptions of the silent mind. This was followed by another clip of Eckhart dealing with the difference between thinking and being aware of thoughts. There was some further discussion which seemed to be enjoyed by all and the session was brought to a close.

The Stillness Within met on April 9 for a talk by Eckhart Tolle given in San Francisco  on “Discovering Your True Self.”  There was a group of 9 who watched this video of Eckhart discussing the process of awakening to who we are beyond form, and the practice of rising above thinking.    He spoke of lucid living where we still participate in the dream and creation of form, of life, and yet stay aware of our essence as the timeless space. Where we can have joyful creation without self seeking, without service to ego.  Eckhart led a guided meditation of the practice that assists with awakening. Where no effort or will is used but instead we make the decision to be alert and still, not thinking. We put our attention to experiencing aliveness in the inner body, so the mind slows or even stops, and that inner sensation acts as an anchor for awareness.  This brought to mind a wonderful quote from J. Krishnamurti from You Are the World:  “When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely– the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it.”   The group discussion after ranged from how we apply these essential practices in our every day life, and the challenges of that, to Eckhart’s focus in recent talks on more mystical aspects of human awakening. There was also discussion on his term ‘lucid living’, and our interpretation of it.   Members enjoyed Eckhart’s lovely analogy comparing our true essence to that of the sun ray and the sun. When the ray becomes still for a moment and realizes there is a depth to who it is. “You realize you were not this disconnected fragment that has been thrown into the universe by some malignant deity that enjoys your suffering.” That we are an essential part of the universe. We haven’t been thrown into the universe, we have come out of it.    Thanks to Laurie S. and Bill for helping to host the April gathering, as well as to the Krishnamurti Centre for their generous use of the facility.  

Over the years there has been apparent controversy and comparison between JK and UG. Although UG and JK share the same name, their apparent perspectives are very different in one respect. Although JK denounced teachers, his message was that man can bring about some kind of tremendous transformation and mutation of his brain by watching himself and his thoughts. So this sort of lecturing seems to have put him on a pedestal and many considered him a teacher. UG negates all teaching and concepts of change. “I have no teaching. There is nothing to preserve. Teaching implies something that can be used to bring about change. Sorry, there is no teaching here, just disjointed, disconnected sentences. What is there is only your interpretation, nothing else. For this reason there is not now nor will there ever be any kind of copyright for whatever I am saying. I have no claims”.  However, from a non-dual perspective there is no need to differentiate between UG or JK. There is no need to hold one up against the other. Once it is realized that all is THIS and that THIS is expressing Itself as the apparent teacher and student, the apparent beggar and King, the apparent saint and sinner, and the apparent guru or anti-guru;  there is a relaxation and falling away of any need to compare or denounce one over the other.  

  “Setting Your Heart Free” Weekend Retreat with Burt Harding March 25 – 27, 2016 Burt Harding returned to the Krishnamurti Centre for the third year running to offer a weekend of exploration into the nature of who we really are and the possibility of living from and as “the Heart”. Burt was freshly energized by a recent deepening of his realization and a shift in emphasis from the mind to the heart. His state of being was a large factor in making the retreat a powerful and fruitful one for the participants. He employed a variety of guided meditations and exercises which, combined with his talks and group discussions, created a strong energy of loving presence in the group. We could experience directly that to which he was pointing, the primal reality of the heart, which is peace, love, joy, silence, beauty, and such qualities. Much of the material used to introduce the subject was from Burt’s recent book, The Truth the World Doesn’t Want You to Know About, as well as from a number of handouts and booklets written by Burt to share his latest insights and suggestions for simple and straight forward techniques for accessing Being. Burt’s presence was delightful, as was that of the other twenty-four participants, and the weekend was a beautiful sharing of love, joy, and authentic inquiry. The weather allowed us to enjoy the lovely property, and the meals were delicious. Burt closed by saying that surely none of us could leave and still say we don’t know who we are!

Victoria Krishnamurti Event Sunday, March 13, 2016 The topic for this meeting at the Church of Truth in Victoria was “Transcending Dualistic Perception”. Five people were present as we started and two more joined us as the session progressed. We began with a video of Krishnamurti speaking at Brockwood Park about attachment and looking at strong emotions. He asked if we can we see that we are not separate from attachment, but that it is a part of us? Without attachment there is no “me” at all. When we look at attachment or the resulting emotional reactions without creating a separate self or observer, then our relationship with what is observed undergoes a radical change. The video was a good expression of the essence of K’s teachings. We discussed the viewed subject material within the context of looking at our own attachments and responses as we interacted in a group setting. The focus moved to other ideas and experiences on the part of the participants but the group was quite engaged. A handout from Freedom from the Known was distributed after the dialogue. A tea break was followed by a video of Rupert Spira investigating the nature of perception. The video provoked some strong reactions from one of the participants, who felt it was idealistic and conceptual rather than practical. Others didn’t feel the same way. A fairly intense conversation ensued about the fear of going beyond the conceptual mind and entering more expansive states of consciousness. Most people seemed to find the meeting of value and expressed an intention to return for the next month’s session.